Crimson Eyes
by xXAngelicHomicideXx
Summary: An original story that I have been working on for four years
1. Chapter 1

Part 1

Discovery

Howls rent the air of my village. I walked over to my window, staring up at the full moon, just visible over the tops of the trees. It was past midnight and I couldn't sleep. Silently I slipped out the front door, not bothering with shoes.

I walked down the dirt path, my sword bouncing lightly against my left hip. Reaching the village, shouts greeted me from the taverns. A gentle wind blew my short, brown hair into my face. Brushing it back, I continued through the streets until I came to my friend Laena Oshiro's house.

She sat on the roof outside her window, green eyes trained on the sky, black hair loose and being tossed playfully by the breeze. She wore a long jacket as it was still too cool out for anything less. I called up to her. She climbed back through the window and appeared at the front door a minute later.

"They're louder tonight," she stated, referring to the wolves. I nodded in reply. We rounded a corner and stopped.

Sitting in a pool of lantern-light was a wolf. It was pure white except for the tips of it's ears and tail, which were black. It stood as we appeared, and I heard the rattle of chains – it was chained to a stake buried in the ground. I stepped closer and Laena grabbed my wrist.

"Are you insane?"

"We have to help her," I said.

"There is no way am I letting you go near that thing!" Laena replied.

"Thanks mother," I said sarcastically, and twisted out of her grip.

As I approached the wolf, it bristled, pulling at the chain and snarling menacingly. I put my hands out in front of me to show it they were empty.

Reaching the wolf, I crouched in front of it and met it's eyes– which were dark red. I slipped my hands up to its neck… A flash of teeth, a jolting pain in my left arm, blood dripped onto my feet.

I jumped back and looked down at the wound in my left forearm, teeth clenched to stop from crying out at the pain. I ripped off what was left of my sleeve, and used my teeth to tie it around my arm. I approached the wolf a second time. Behind me I heard Laena mutter something, but I ignored her.

The wolf eyed me warily as I came closer, so I tried talking to it. And I think it worked. At the sound of my voice, the wolf's snarls subsided to a low growl at the back of her throat. I found the clasp on the collar and unfastened it. Backing away slowly, I watched to see what it would do. Now that it was no longer hindered by the chain, it would be free to attack.

It didn't though. It took a few steps forward, then, realizing it was free of the chain, it turned and ran off. It stopped once and looked back over it's shoulder, crimson eyes flashing in the lantern-light, then it leapt into the shadows and disappeared.

My eyes flickered open and I found myself staring up at my bedroom ceiling. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "Just a dream," I muttered, and yawned. I interlaced my fingers and extended my arms, palms out. That's when I noticed my arm.

My arm was caked in dry blood, and my sleeve had been ripped off. Wiping away some of the blood revealed a large crescent shaped scar. I stared a moment, then jumped up and belted on my sword. Jamming boots on my feet, I raced from the house, covering the distance between Laena's house and mine in minutes.

I live outside Dantor, but it doesn't take too long to reach the village from my house. My parents are farmers, but I've never been able to grow anything; I don't have the patience to learn. They have always disliked that I took to sword fighting rather than farming. It's not considered proper for a woman to carry a sword. My friends and I are not to be considered "proper".

Dantor is located in the North, nestled in the heart of a large valley. It is the only village with access to the mountain passes from North to South, making it a very popular stop for travelers; so even though I've never been outside the valley, I've learned about many different cultures.

I reached Laena's house and climbed up the fencing to her window. I knocked loudly on it. A minute passed, then the window opened and Laena stuck her head out.

"Camryn, do you know what time it is?" she moaned, stepping to one side

I climbed in. "I know perfectly well what time it is," I lied. "But look at this." I showed her my arm.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed, recoiling. "What did you do!"

"I don't know," I replied honestly, "But I had this dream where you and I –

Laena cut me off. "Where you and I are walking, we find this wolf, it attacks you, but you're still crazy enough to try to free it again?"

"Not exactly my choice of words, but yes..." We exchanged a look before scrambling back out the window, down the fencing and onto the path below. We walked around the corner and stopped. A stake was buried in the ground in front of us. Attached to it was a chain, and attached to that was a leather collar.

I noticed paw prints leading away from the stake and started to follow them. Laena followed me without question.

"Isn't this near where the hermit lives?" Laena asked me. We had been walking for a good part of the morning. I brushed my bangs out of my eyes and looked around.

"I think so." I looked down at the path. The paw prints continued further into the woods. "C'mon, let's keep going." I continued walking, but stopped when I noticed Laena wasn't with me. "What's wrong?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at her, she looked uneasy.

"Haven't you heard the stories, Camryn?"

"No, and I wouldn't believe them if I had. He's just a grumpy old man." I started walking again, and a few seconds later I heard Laena following me.

Not long after, we reached a clearing in the woods. In it was a small house. Both of us stopped at the edge of the trees, watching. For what? Neither of us knew. Suddenly I heard Laena cry out, and I felt something smash into my back, knocking me over and slamming the breath from my lungs.

We stayed pinned for a moment before we heard a gruff voice from behind us yell, "Kirei! Kuro! Off." The weight moved off my back, and I was able to turn over, gasping in an effort to regain my breath.

A man in about his early fifties stood on the path in the direction we had come. Beside him were five wolves. I immediately recognized the white wolf from my dream. Its crimson eyes seemed to glow, even in daylight. And I could now tell that it was female.

The man studied Laena and me for a moment; then he stuck his hand out towards me. I stared at it for a couple seconds before realizing he was offering to help me up. Hesitantly, I took it and he pulled me to my feet – not gently – then I helped Laena up.

"Um... thanks for, uh, helping us... I guess we'll go now..." I stammered, breaking an uncomfortable silence. Laena and I started back towards the village, giving the little group as wide a berth as was possible on the narrow path.

"Camryn and Laena, am I right?"

That stopped us in our tracks. How did he know our names? A man who hadn't spoken to anyone for thirty years or more, and was friends with wolves

Laena asked the question we were both thinking.

He didn't answer. Instead, he said, "You've met Kirei before, haven't you? I saw recognition in your eyes when you saw her."

I wasn't sure how to answer, but I figured that it would make no difference whether I lied or not, so I decided to tell the truth. "I dreamt about her," I said.

The old man seemed to be contemplating something. "Yes, that makes sense," he said, almost to himself. "Bring the others next time you come up this way." This time he spoke directly to us. Then he was gone, out of sight, into the forest glade. We hurried back to the village to find our friends, Tori and Maylin, to tell them of what had just happened.

"Did you two hit your head on something by any chance?" Tori asked after we told her and Maylin. "Why would you follow the paw prints of a _wolf_?" She stood on the porch of her house, arms crossed over her chest. Tori Shigoto – easily classified as a very pretty girl – she had shoulder-length blonde hair and dark green eyes. She was fancied by many men in the village, but refused to have anything to do with any of them, saying she was already in love with someone. Of course, she would never tell anyone who it was. She raised a dark eyebrow, waiting for our response.

"I don't know," Laena replied. "It kind of felt like we didn't have a choice."

"Haven't you heard that curiosity kills?" Maylin spoke for the first time. She sat on the stairs leading to the porch, her chin resting on her knees. "You could have died." She ran a hand down her leg where a scar ran the length of her calf. An action she often repeated when she was agitated. "The hermit could have killed you for all you know. Or you could have been ripped to shreds by those wolves."

I noticed her hand and countered with, "Says the one who was foolish enough to drop their sword."

She glared at me, pulling at her skirt to cover her leg more and putting her legs down.

Laena and I were the only women in the village who didn't wear skirts. We preferred men's breeches, and couldn't be bothered to keep up appearances like Tori and Maylin did.

"And he wants you to come back?" Tori continued. "With us?"

"Yes," I replied. "I don't see what harm it could do," I added. "He called those wolves off of us."

"What does that prove? That he was trying to gain your trust so you'd come back and he could kill you then?"

"Stop being so negative Tori," Laena snapped.

"Well sorry that I actually use my head," Tori snapped back.

I sighed. "Well, I'm going back," I stated. "Follow me if you want or stay. I don't care." I turned and walked away from my friends, heading back into the woods toward the hermit's house.

When I reached the forest glade, he was nowhere to be seen, so I looked around. There wasn't much to see. The man's house stood to one side, a fire pit was located in the center of the clearing. The rest of the space was clear and empty.

I jumped as I heard a noise behind me. I turned slowly to see a large white wolf, snarling at me. It was one of the wolves that had been with the hermit when he'd found Laena and I, but this one was male, not the one from my dream.

I stepped back, hands out to the sides, swallowing the lump of fear in my throat. I hadn't felt this in my dream. I had felt calm in my dream. Like nothing could hurt me. And even when I'd been bitten, there had been a part of my mind that had know that it hadn't hurt as much as it should have.

I was about to turn and run when I heard more snarling from behind me. I swallowed, but before I could do anything, another white wolf darted around me to face the first wolf. It was the wolf from my dream. She snarled at the other wolf and he took a step back. She advanced, driving him farther away. Eventually, he turned and trotted away, tail between his legs. The wolf from my dreams sat and snorted as if in triumph before looking over her shoulder at me. Once again I turned to run, but I was stopped, this time by a hand on my shoulder.

I looked up. It was the old man.

"I – " I began.

"Where are the others?" he asked, cutting me off. His eyes were dark brown and narrowed.

"They – they didn't want to come," I stammered.

He sighed, releasing my shoulder. "As I suspected," he mumbled so quietly I almost didn't catch the words. "But you came," he said to me. "Why?"

I was surprised at his question, mainly because I didn't have an answer. "I don't know," I replied quickly. I thought a moment. "I was curious I guess," I finally answered. "How you knew our names and the wolves and…" I trailed off as he nodded.

"This way," he said, turning toward the fire pit in the center of the clearing and beckoning for me to follow. "My name is Sashen by the way."

I hesitated a moment, then caught up to him. The wolf from my dream trotted after us. If a wolf could look smug, that would have been how I described her.

Sashen sat on the ground next to the remains of the fire and motioned me to do the same. I sat across from him, and the wolf disappeared behind me. I was unnerved to have her at my back, but said nothing.

"You no doubt want me to explain why I asked you to come back here." He looked to me, waiting for my answer. I just nodded and he scowled. "You need to learn to speak up Camryn. You can't be intimidated," he scolded.

"I'm not intimidated," I replied indignantly.

"Oh really?" Sashen questioned. He stood. "Look how you're sitting," he said, pointing at me. I had my legs drawn up, arms hooked around my thighs. "You're curled in on yourself – like you're uncomfortable and trying to hide. Your shoulders are pulled in – trying to be as far away from Kirei as possible. And yet, you're also in a position you could quickly get out of: you let go of your legs and you can push yourself to your feet. You could have your sword out in a matter of seconds."

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked. I was confused.

"Partially," he replied. He remained standing and crossed his arms, reminding me of Tori's father. "You look defensive. Anyone with eyes can see that. They'll read that as intimidation and they will use that against you."

"I don't get it."

"You don't go through life without lying and tricking people. That's a fact. Especially people like us."

"Us…?"

"Have you ever noticed anything different about you?"

"Other than the fact that I woke up with a scar from a dream?"

"Who said it was a dream."

"No one… but I woke up in my bed… but the chain and the paw prints… and Laena…" I had confused myself even more and I had no idea where this conversation had come from or where it was going.

"It was a dream," Sashen stated, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. "But the events were real."

My brows pulled together as I tried to make sense of what he was saying. "If it was a dream that means it wasn't real." Maybe my friends had been wrong. Maybe this man was just completely insane and I'd been crazy to come back out here. Alone to boot.

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "Some dreams, yes, they aren't real, but others are simply memories of what happened on a different plane."

Okay. Yes. He was definitely not right in the head. Then I remembered something. "What about the chain… and the paw prints? How did those get there if it happened on a different plane?"

"I put them there of course. I had to get you out here somehow."

"But… how'd you know what I dreamt about?"

"Back to what I asked about if you'd ever noticed something different about you."

"I answered that. No, not unless you count this scar."

"Think again," he said. He began pacing. He was smiling now, clearly amused by my confusion and frustration.

"About what!" I snapped, angry with him for being so cryptic.

My hands balled into fists as he began chuckling and I realized I was standing. "What's so funny?" I demanded.

"I knew all I needed to do was make you angry," he replied, laughter fading. He sat back down with a sigh.

"What?"

"You're a defensive person. You don't want others to think badly of you. Yet you dress like a boy; you defy the wishes of your parents, even though you're the only child and will inherit the farm; and you came here despite what your friends said."

"How do you do that?" I asked.

"Do what?" Sashen questioned.

"How do you know about a person you've never met?"

He chuckled again before the humor faded from his face. "I will explain that, but not now. Was I correct in my analysis?"

I hesitated before answering. Yes, he was right. Everything he'd said had been accurate. But he also unnerved me. I couldn't see a point in lying though. If he already knew this much, I wouldn't have been surprised if he could read minds. "Yes, but so what?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. I just wanted to make sure I understood you. Not that I really do yet. Why do you act against what is considered right, when you want others to view you well?"

The answer to that was simple enough. I'd said it to my parents enough times. "Because it's who I am and what I'm good at. I'm not going to act like something I'm not to please others. I've learned to ignore the stares and whispers, whether or not I like it is beside the point. I can strike harder than most of the boys in this village. I can put up a fight. What's wrong with that?" I couldn't help but sound slightly angry.

"Absolutely nothing," Sashen replied, looking amused again. "Sit down, please, and I will explain myself." He gestured across the fire to where I'd been sitting before.

I hesitated, then sat. I wasn't too sure what had happened, but we were back on topic.

"Do you believe in magic?" Sashen asked.

I scoffed. "No."

"Why not?" he demanded.

"Why should I?" I retorted.

"Do you believe in the gods?"

"Of course I do."

"And yet, you don't believe in magic?"

"No. Gods doesn't mean magic. Even if it did, magic would belong to the gods. They're divine beings."

Sashen pulled an empty flower pot towards him. When I looked closer, I realized that it wasn't empty. Tiny green sprouts peeked up from the dark soil. I scowled. I'd never gotten my plants that far. They'd never sprouted for me no matter what I did. He put a hand over the sprouts and murmured something under his breath that I didn't quite catch. As I watched, the flowers bloomed. The green sprouts shooting up, buds forming and leaves unfurling. The petals unfolded. In a matter of seconds, ten beautiful Irises had replaced the tiny green sprouts in the pot. Sashen set the pot aside as I sat there, mouth agape.

"Do you believe in magic?" He asked again.

"How did you do that?" I asked incredulously.

Sashen sighed. "Magic, Camryn. I can use magic. You can too."

I was past not believing him about magic. What else could that have possibly been? "Me?" I asked, then laughed. "I can't use magic. I didn't even know it existed until a few seconds ago."

"Not many people in Dantor do. You are far away from the cities. Tíernael is rich with tales of magic. The land of Llangaria as well. The Craì woods are filled with creatures wishing to escape the king."

"I've heard stories, but I've never believed them," I said, remembering the night my friends and I had snuck into a tavern. A trapper from the Far East had been telling a story about a young man named Aerrow Fell. Aerrow had allegedly saved the king while the king had been traveling to Tíernael for a competition of mages (magic users). We had been chased out by the tavern's Keeper before we could hear more than the beginning, not that we had believed him anyway.

"The legend of Aerrow Fell no doubt," Sashen said, snapping me out of my flashback.

"Yeah," I replied. "I only heard the beginning."

"I have it written, if you would like to read it. It's a fascinating story and now that you've been enlightened to the existence of magic, you would enjoy it more."

I looked down, embarrassment coloring my cheeks pink. "I don't know how to read or write," I admitted quietly.

He raised an eyebrow, seeming surprised, although I don't know why. It wasn't common for those who lived on farms to be educated past writing their name.

"Well then I'll have to teach you, won't I?" He chuckled as I looked up surprised. "What?" he asked. "Don't think I can read or write? Well I can. It's a skill all mages are taught when they're trained by anyone at least half way decent."

"Are you offering to teach me to read?" I asked incredulously.

"Not only to read, but to use the magic you poses too."

I was skeptical. Though I did believe magic existed now, I didn't think I would possibly be able to use it. There was nothing special about me. In the stories, the people were all heroes who'd done amazing things. Not a fifteen year old girl who refused to even act like a woman.

"Well?" Sashen asked.

"Alright," I agreed. What the hell. Even if he was wrong as I thought he was, I could at least learn to read and write – a decent skill to have, especially for one who was completely inept at farming.

"Wonderful." Sashen smiled. It was the first real smile of happiness I'd seen. His amused smirks didn't count. It took years off his appearance, making him look about the same age as my father. "First thing's first. Kirei!"

I turned to look as the white wolf from my dream stood and stretched. She yawned hugely before trotting over to us. I inched away, not keen to be close to the teeth that had already tasted my flesh.

"Don't be scared Camryn, she won't hurt you."

I looked up at him. "She's a wolf," I stated.

"Good observation skills," Sashen said, more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "She is also your Link."

"My Link?" I repeated.

"Yes. You see, as a human, you cannot tap into the mana source directly. Mana is, essentially, magic, only in a much more concentrated form. Humans are too weak to use it directly, so we channel the mana through an animal – a wolf. It can be channeled through other animals, but not nearly so much as with these beautiful creatures.

"The sign of a human mage is a connection with a wolf. A couple hundred years ago it was considered normal for adolescents to be sent into the mountains to try and search for theirs. Few ever returned.

"But once a connection is made, it cannot be broken. That wolf will remain with you forever, and both of your lives will be prolonged because of the mana that is being channeled. That scar on your arm." He pointed to my left arm where the crescent-shaped scar stood out pink against my sun-tanned skin. "Is what connects you to Kirei. She is your life companion now. If she feels pain, you will feel pain, and vice versa. If she dies, you won't. However, if you die, she will."

I looked at Kirei, who was watching Sashen as if she understood his words. I was responsible for her life now. "That's a big responsibility," I breathed.

"Yes. And you would do well to always keep it in mind. You cannot act recklessly." He stood with a grunt and I began to wonder just how old he was. I was about to ask but then four more wolves appeared out of the trees behind him, led by the one Kirei had chased off earlier.

I swallowed.

"Don't be afraid of them," Sashen said before walking off and leaving me alone with them.

I didn't take my eyes off the four sets of teeth I was sure would be all too happy to take a bite out of me. Before I could figure out anything to do, Kirei stepped in front of me, her ears pulled back and teeth barred, snarling.

The lead wolf growled, but stepped back and turned away, snorting. It trotted off and the others followed.

Kirei turned to me and sat down, tail swishing on the ground. There seemed to be amusement in her eyes.

"Thanks," I breathed. "So, do you come with me, or do you stay here?" I asked as if she could really understand me.

She stood and darted to the path. I raised an eyebrow. "Do you know what I'm saying?" I asked.

She dipped her head in what I could only assume to be a nod.

"How?" I asked.

"Because you two are linked."

I jumped at the sound of Sashen's voice behind me. I turned to see him walking toward his house with an armful of wood.

"She can understand you on a certain level. Better than a dog can, but not as well as another human. And she can't speak to you."

"Really? Wow." I looked back at Kirei. "This day just keeps getting crazier and crazier," I muttered.

Sashen chuckled as I followed after Kirei, who was already trotting off down the path. I paused at the edge of the clearing. "Sashen?" I called before he was inside his house.

He turned back to me. "Hm?"

"What about the others? They won't come out here."

"They'll come in their own time."

"And what about my lessons? Reading and writing and such..."

He frowned a moment, then said, "Come by whenever you have spare time. If I'm here, I'll teach you. If I'm not..." He shrugged. "Feel free to hang around anyway. No doubt Kirei won't be pleased with having no company outside humans."

"Okay... Thanks Sashen."

He grunted a reply and pushed open the door of his house.

Down the path, I heard Kirei growl and I could sense her annoyance. Laughing half out of humor and half out of nerves over what had just happened, I jogged down the path to meet up with her.

I spent the next few days on the farm a lot... well, the woods out behind the farm. I wanted to spend time with Kirei and I wasn't sure how my friends would take everything Sashen had told me.

As much as I wanted to learn to read and write, I didn't want to go back to Sashen's right away. So I stuck to the woods out behind our land. With Kirei beside me, I felt safer and wandered farther than I'd ever done. I brought home more game than ever to our table and I think I saw respect in my parent's eyes after a third day of having more than we could eat. I may not be a farmer, and they might not like that I didn't act ladylike, but in the absence of another child, they could appreciate that I brought home food.

It was the fourth day since I'd learned about magic from Sashen, and I was out back at the edge of the woods. I had no need to hunt today – we had enough leftovers for the rest of the week. I had climbed up into a tree and had a stick of charcoal and a stretch of parchment I'd been able to buy by selling the extra game that would otherwise have gone bad. Kirei was sleeping at the base of a tree a bit away from me – tired after spending about an hour chasing a bug of some sort. I was sketching the scene on the parchment when I heard Tori's voice.

"... Haven't seen her in three days."

"So you automatically assume the worst?" That was Laena's voice.

"She headed off to the middle of the woods and we haven't seen her since. There's no sign of the hermit out there either. So yes, I assume the worst."

I finished the sketch and rolled up the parchment, sticking it and the charcoal into an old hole in the tree that had once probably housed squirrels. It was my favorite hiding place.

I whistled softly, only loud enough for Kirei to hear. Her head snapped up immediately and her eyes sought me out. She stood as she saw me up in the tree.

"Go give them a scare," I said quietly.

I could see the mischief in her eyes as she darted toward my friend's voices.

A moment later I heard three screams of surprise and fright. Crashing footsteps came towards my perch and then my three friends burst into the small clearing, Kirei chasing after them – happy to have new playmates.

"Keep running and she's just gonna think you're playing," I called down. "C'mon now Kirei, that's enough."

Kirei sat beneath the tree obediently as my friends gaped.

"You know, or she might eat you 'cause you look like cows," I laughed.

Tori was the first one to recover. She crossed her arms over her chest, eyes burning with anger. "What the hell Camryn?" she snapped. "You've trained this thing to follow you around and listen to you?"

I laughed and quickly made my way down the tree. "I haven't trained her to do anything," I said as my feet hit the ground.

"Where've you been Camryn?" Laena asked before Tori could say anything. "What happened when you went back?"

"If Tori can not interrupt, I'll tell you." I cast a glance at Tori, who rolled her eyes and muttered a "Whatever."

I launched into the story of what had happened when I'd gone back to see Sashen. I could see that Tori was having a hard time not saying anything, and Maylin and Laena both looked fascinated.

I looked at Tori when I finished. "Anything to say?" I asked, not bothering to hide the humor in my voice.

"It's a load of crap!" Tori exclaimed, glaring at me.

I shook my head. "It's not Tori. I saw what he did with the flowers – they grew in seconds what takes weeks right in front of me. And I can feel Kirei's emotions and she can understand me. I was skeptical at first too, but there's no other explanation."

"I don't believe it," Tori replied stubbornly.

"Well I do," Laena said. She turned to Tori. "I don't think it's possible to train a wolf, let alone in three days. And what reason would Camryn have to lie to us?" She paused. "I think we should go see Sashen ourselves."

Tori shook her head as Maylin voiced her agreement. "You're all nuts," she stated. "Count me out!" She started to walk off.

"Come on Tori," I called after her. "You can't pretend you aren't the least bit curious. Just come with us. If you don't believe it after that, then you can pretend nothing ever happened."

Tori turned, glaring at us. "And I'm just supposed to pretend that when I have to be around you and those oversized dogs all the time? Not likely." She turned and kept walking.

"Tori," Laena said, running after our friend. "Just come this once. Please?"

Tori turned back to us and sighed. "I'm not going to hear the end of this am I?" she grumbled.

Laena grinned. "Nope."

Tori sighed again. "Fine. I'll go. But I still say it's all a load of crap."

"Still think it's a load of crap?" I asked as Tori stood looking at the patch of ground in front of her. An entire three foot by three foot space in front of her was covered in wildflowers that would never normally grow in this season.

Her face was contemplative, like she didn't want to believe, but had been provided with so much proof that she had no choice. It was obvious she didn't like it.

Sashen stood off to the side, holding back a black wolf with sliver tipped ears and a silver tipped tail that was trying to rush over to Tori. Sashen looked tired. The magic he'd had to use to convince Tori had taken a lot of effort.

Tori sighed and finally said, "No. I don't. But I don't like it."

I laughed. "No one said you had to like it."

Sashen let go of the wolf and it bolted toward Tori and I. Tori yelped and jumped back, but I pushed her forward.

"He won't hurt you Tori," Sashen said in a flat voice. "As I explained - the complete opposite."

Tori looked skeptical still, but took a slight step forward. "I really don't like this. Why can't I have normal friends?"

The wolf stepped up to sniff her hand, then licked it. Tori laughed slightly. I smiled. "It's like a dog," Tori stated.

The wolf's ears flattened, but it didn't bare its teeth or growl.

"They don't like being called dogs, Miss Shigoto. Can't you feel her discontent?"

There was a strange look of Tori's face. A mixture of dislike, confusion, and understanding. "What's his name?" She asked.

"Rikko," Sashen replied. "He's named for his speed – faster than any of the others." With a tired sigh, he looked at me. "Come back tomorrow, all of you. I'll start your lessons properly since all of you now know everything." He disappeared into his house.

I looked at my other friends. It hadn't taken much to convince Laena and Maylin. All Sashen had had to do was confirm my story and introduce them to Kuro and Inu and they were in. They were sitting with the wolves now.

"Why don't we go home?" I suggested.

"One thing Camryn."

I turned back to Tori. "Yeah?"

"Unlike you, we don't live on a farm with endless miles of woods out back. What are we supposed to do with them?" she asked, referring to the wolves.

I frowned. "Well, it's not like it harms us or them to be apart. Why don't they come with me? That way they're all together and they've got plenty of room."

"That sounds like it would work," Laena stated.

Maylin nodded her agreement.

Tori looked indecisive a moment, then nodded. "It's a good plan."

"Great. Home then?"

My friends all nodded and we started home.

Three months passed and we fell into a routine. Tori, Laena and Maylin would come to the farm every morning and we would walk up to Sashen's with the wolves and Sashen would start our lessons, which varied from using magic, learning the history of it, learning how to read and to write, and studying maps of our land.

My birthday fell on the day the seasons changed from summer to autumn. On that day, Sashen approached us with a gift and a request.

We showed up for our lessons as we did every morning, but he wasn't outside as he usually was. We glanced around the clearing, but he was nowhere to be seen. Tori checked the house, but it was empty. We hung around the clearing fro a bit. He'd been late once or twice. Once an hour passed though, we began to wonder. Just as we were about to head back to the village, knowing there was little we could do in the ways of going and looking for him, he stepped out of the trees on the far side of the clearing, behind his house. He carried something in his arms, and as he came closer, we saw that they were swords.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," he said roughly when he reached us. "I got somewhat side tracked." He shifted the swords into one arm. "I have something for all of you. I think you're as ready as you'll ever be. I also need to ask something of you. But you can keep these whether or not you say yes."

I exchanged a confused glance with Laena.

Sashen looked at each one of us in turn. "Three months isn't nearly as long as I'd like to train you before you go, but it'll have to suffice," he stated. "I've just received word from a friend in Tíernael that the king's hand has already reached that far. He's spreading stories about magic users and scaring the humans that can't use magic into hunting down and killing mages. He's sent his soldiers into these mountains to search for those who managed to escape."

"What does this have to do with us?" I interjected.

He looked at me, obviously displeased. He hated when we interrupted.

"This has to do with you because you four and I are the only mages in this village, and the soldiers get closer each day. And also, as much as I hate to ask this of you, I must. I need you to travel to Tíernael and find a girl about your age named Amari. She can help you."

"Help us what exactly?" Tori asked.

He looked at her in confusion. "Surely you've heard all of what I've said. The king is hunting down magic users. Do you intend to simply sit back and allow him to kill off innocent people? Or will you do something about it?"

"Well I'm sorry you never clarified that before," Tori muttered, hating being scolded.

"You're still not being completely clear Sashen," I put in. "What is she going to help us with?"

"I already said that I disliked the little amount of time I got to spend training you. She can take you to someone who can help you learn more about your magic than I could ever teach you, and then, if you wish to, you can fight alongside us to stop the king."

"I thought the king was all for magic," Maylin said. "Wasn't he the one who supposedly brought it to this land?"

Sashen nodded. "That's no tale. It's true. But after the incident with Aerrow Fell, he has grown to hate magic, and fear it. He has his few, trusted mages at his side. That's it."

"What happened to Aerrow?" Laena asked. "You never did tell us his story."

"And for that I apologize," Sashen replied. "But there is no time for it now. I need your answer by nightfall of whether or not you will go. If you choose to, you will leave tonight, under the cover of dark. If not, return here anyway."

"We're supposed to figure this out in the next few hours?" Tori asked incredulously.

"I realize that leaving your homes and families would be difficult," Sashen said with a shrug. "And that is why I'm not trying to influence your decision. But I must know by tonight." He sighed wearily and looked at each of us again. "I would do this myself, but I'm getting too old to be running off to the far corners of the earth." He turned toward his house. "I will see you tonight then," he said, disappearing inside.

Several hours later found us sitting on the front steps of Tori's house, discussing what we were going to do.

"To leave home to go wandering around the world? It doesn't make any sense." Maylin said, shaking her head.

"But he is right. He is too old to be running to the far corners of the earth," I replied.

"My dad says the world doesn't have corners. He says its round."

We all looked over at Laena, who sat on the ground in front of the porch steps. "That had absolutely _nothing_ to do with what we were talking about, Laena," Tori said.

"Sorry," she muttered quietly.

"Right. Now we still haven't decided whether to go or not."

"I think we should," I said, staring at my hands. "It seems really important to Sashen, and he's done so much for us."

Laena frowned. "Dad won't like me leaving the shop to my sisters, but I agree with Tori."

We all thought for a moment in silence. Then, one by one, nodded in agreement – Tori last, but with determination in her eyes.

In the back of my mind, I knew something was going to change. I didn't know what, or if it would be good or bad, but I knew this decision was going to affect us all.

We'd all decided that telling our folks about our leaving would be a bad idea, and since we were to leave at night anyway, it just made things easier.

Before leaving, I spoke to Tori's older brother and asked him to make sure my family had enough food in exchange for half my life savings – about four gold and six silver pieces. He seemed glad to help, and for that I was grateful. I had no idea when – or if – we'd be back.

I debated leaving a note for my parents, but they couldn't read very well, so I just hoped they wouldn't miss me too much.

As night fell and the sun slipped behind the mountains, I picked up my pack and jogged into the village to meet up with my friends. The wolves followed silently behind me as if sensing the need to be quiet.

The wood echoed hollowly as my knuckles hit it, once, twice, three times. I shifted the pack on my back as I waited for Maylin to open the back door. Tori and Laena stood behind me, packs on both of their backs as well.

Maylin opened the door only enough for her to slip outside and to avoid making the hinges creak. She shut it silently behind her and turned to face us. "Let's go," she whispered, shouldering her bag. We nodded and started to walk.

We reached Sashen's house after a few minutes of walking. He sat beside a fire beside his house. Beside him, five swords glittered in the firelight.

He looked up, taking in our clothing (Maylin and Tori both wore boys clothes now instead of skirts), and the bags on our backs.

"So I take it you're going," he said with no discernable emotion in his voice.

"That's right," I replied.

He took his time sheathing each of the swords before approaching us. He handed us each one. "These swords are unbreakable," he explained as we examined them.

They were beautiful. The one I held had a gold hilt inlaid with tiny black stones and a crimson blade hidden in a black scabbard.

"Even against the strongest opponent, they will never fail you."

"You're just giving us these?" Laena asked, shocked. "These must be worth a fortune. I've never seen such craftsmanship

"That's because they weren't crafted by human hands. These swords were forged by magic. And why shouldn't I give them to you?" he replied.

I belted mine on. I wasn't one to pass up something like this. It seemed my friends all had the same mind set as they, too, attached them to their belts.

There was still one sword in Sashen's hand.

"What of that one?" Laena asked. I could sense in her voice that she was eager to examine the swords in better light and more thoroughly. Her father was the village's blacksmith, and she was training to be one herself.

Sashen grabbed a piece of dirty cloth up from next to the fire and wrapped the sword in it. He handed it to me and I slipped it into my pack. "Give that one to Amari," he said and gestured for us to start walking.

The sun reappeared to us as we reached the mouth of the mountain pass and were no longer in the valley, casting a bloody glow on the rock that surrounded us. We all stopped walking and stared out at the horizon. "I want you to take this," Sashen said, breaking the silence, we all turned to look at him. He pulled a small chain out of his pocket. On it hung a piece of obsidian, carved in the shape of a fang, about two inches long. He handed it to Laena, who slipped it over her head.

"Thank you Sashen," she said quietly.

"You'd best get on so you get a decent head start. If you can make it around the soldiers tonight, you'll be safe for the next two weeks." He paused, then added, "Good Luck"

I nodded, though I didn't like the sound of his voice as he wished us luck, I could sense everyone's excitement as well as anxiety, and decided it was best not to bring attention to it. Not now at least.

We turned in the direction of the setting sun and started off.


	2. Chapter 2

Part Two

Demons, Soldiers, Magic, Death and Fire

"Ah! Crap!" I yelled, tripping on the uneven rock.

"Hey, stop!" The shouts were getting closer. "Catch those demons you incompetent fools!"

"Well that's a new one," Tori commented wryly, running behind me as fast as she could.

The first week of our trip had passed unremarkably. We'd seen no sign of the soldiers or anyone else. We hadn't traveled on the main path just in case, but despite our being cautious, we'd been spotted eight days into our trip.

We'd managed to outrun the soldiers at first, but we weren't accustomed to traveling, and we tired quickly. By afternoon of the ninth day, they'd found us again and we'd been forced to run again.

To look on the bright side, the soldiers were on horseback and had to stop eventually to rest the creatures. As well as we could climb up places that they couldn't reach.

We'd done that now. We were running single file along a thin ledge up out of their reach. Though if they had a bow and arrows, we'd be dead by now.

Tori grabbed me and pushed me forward, keeping her hand fisted in the back of my shirt until I regained my feet. I didn't waste breath for thanks.

The ledge came to a stop abruptly and we all hit one another as we tried to stop. I glanced over my shoulder. The hoof beats were getting louder each second. Our choices were to try climbing up the rock face to our right or down on our left to the path.

"Up or down?" Laena asked. She was in front.

"Quick, up here."

We all looked up as a girl appeared at the cliff edge. She waved her hand, beckoning us up to where she was, then disappeared form sight.

"Who are you?" I asked after her.

"No time," we heard her snap. "Hurry."

I glanced around at my friends. Either follow the stranger who was willing to help us, or keep running… Finding a handhold, I scrambled up the rocks.

My friends quickly followed.

Upon reaching the top, I stopped to help my friends the rest of the way up, then peered over the edge. Maylin had just gotten over the edge when the group of soldiers cantered around the corner. They pulled their horses to a stop as the leader looked around for us. We held our breath as we watched in complete silence.

"Where did they go!" one of the men behind him exclaimed.

"Who knows," another replied.

"Back to Hell if we're lucky," a third man said, sounding relieved.

The leader then spoke and I was sure my heart was pounding loud enough to give us away. "Search for them!" he demanded. "I want those demons found and killed!"

I swallowed and looked around. All my friends looked as uneasy as I felt.

Before we could speak, the girl reappeared. She had long, dark brown hair braided down her back. Her skin was dirty and her clothes looked like she'd been sleeping outside for weeks. "Come with me and be silent," she said quietly.

We got up and followed after her.

She led us to a spot in the rock face where a vertical crack ran about six feet high, and two feet wide at the widest.

"Come on," she said, squeezing through the crack.

I hesitated for only a second, then followed. The crack opened up to a tunnel about four feet across, but shrank in height so I had to bend to follow her. After a while, it opened up to a huge cave.

Some kind of plant on the walls seemed to glow, casting an eerie light around the place. We could see a bedroll and a backpack in the corner closest to us, and that was where the girl started toward.

We stopped at the mouth of the tunnel. She turned to us. "I'll be right back," she stated, then walked across the cave and disappeared into another tunnel.

Laena summoned a tiny fire in her palm and we looked around. Not that the small flame illuminated much, but it cast a better light than whatever was on the walls.

"Can we trust her?" Laena asked.

"Doesn't look like we have much of a choice," Tori muttered, arms wrapped around herself.

"I think so," I replied. "If she wasn't on our side, she wouldn't have helped us... would she?"

We heard footsteps, announcing the girl's return. Laena closed her fist, extinguishing the flame. We hadn't yet met another mage, and we didn't know what the girl would do if she saw our magic.

She appeared at the opening of the tunnel on the other side of the cave and walked over to us. I was slightly surprised to see the wolves beside her. Kirei bounded over to me and pushed her nose into my hand until I placed a hand on her head, recognizing her presence.

I was about to ask the girl who she was when she spoke.

"Sorry," she said. Her voice was quiet, as if she'd never spoken in more than a whisper.

We exchanged a puzzled look.

"For… what?" I asked.

"They thought you were me," Her voice was monotone; she showed no emotion whatsoever.

"Okay!" Laena announced. "I am confused!"

"Shut up," Tori said, trying to smack her, but hitting me instead.

"Hey," I grumbled indignantly.

Tori muttered an apology.

"What do you mean, they thought we were you?" I asked the girl.

There was a long pause, and when she spoke, she didn't answer my question.

"It's dark…" she stated, more to herself than to us. She held out a hand in front of her and muttered, "Firíel." A flame flickered to life in the palm of her hand. Our eyes quickly adjusted to the light.

"You can do magic?" Maylin asked, taken aback. Other than Sashen, we hadn't seen anyone else do magic.

"Of course, I assume you can as well… I mean, why else would you be traveling with wolves," she replied. She looked at me and continued. "I was the one they were after – 'the demon girl who travels with a black wolf.' They saw him –" she pointed at Kuro- "and thought he was Itami."

"Itami…?"

"My companion."

"Oh…"

The flames flickered in her black eyes, and off her necklace… Her necklace. An obsidian fang, identical to the one Sashen had given Laena.

_I want you to take this._

And he had handed the necklace to Laena. Could this girl be Amari?

"Uh, Camryn?"

"Huh?" I looked up.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I was just thinking" I looked over at the girl. "Do you live here, in the mountains?" I asked.

"Only recently. When the soldiers came, they chased me out of the city, calling me a demon. There are soldiers everywhere now. They've completely taken over the mountain." she explained.

"And where'd you get that necklace?" I asked.

"It's a family heirloom if you must know. And I was about to ask the raven-haired girl the same question." She turned to Laena.

"It was given to me by a friend," Laena said.

"Who?" the girl asked.

"His name's Sashen," Laena replied.

"Sashen Myuro?"

"You know him?" I interjected.

She looked over at me. "You could say that" She hesitated. "Did he ever mention any children?" she asked after deliberating for several moments.

"Uh, no… Why?"

"No reason."

"Hey," Tori said. "You haven't told us who you are yet."

"Neither have you," the girl retorted. "And isn't it polite to give your own name before asking it of someone else?"

"Of course," Tori replied, her voice steely. "Tori Shigoto."

I cast Tori a warning glance. "Camryn Mayonaka."

Laena and Maylin introduced themselves and the girl turned and walked to the tunnel entrance she'd just come in by.

"Hey. What about you?" Laena asked.

She looked at us over her shoulder. "Amari Myuro. Don't leave; I'm going to get us something to eat." She left, the light growing dimmer and dimmer until the only light was from the glowing things on the walls.

"How come they haven't caught you yet?" Tori asked.

We were all sitting in a circle around a small fire Amari and Laena had called up from the rocks.

"The soldiers aren't chosen for physical skill or bravery. It's heritage. They're the noble's sons – fat, lazy, and drunk most of the time. It isn't hard to outsmart them," Amari replied. "You guys met some of the ones who actually take their job seriously."

"And why are they chasing people like us?"

"Because, they're humans, and they don't understand what we can do."

"Aren't we human too?" Maylin asked.

"In a way, yes, but we're also not. We look like humans and we can die and stuff, but because we can call on magic, it keeps us alive longer than most humans, and also messes up how we age."

"Sashen told us the wolves were our link to magic," Tori said.

"Yes," Amari said, nodding.

I looked up. I hadn't been paying attention to their talk, I'd been thinking. "How are you related to Sashen?"

She glared at me, then at the flames. "He was my father," she said after a pause, resentment clear in her voice.

"What do you mean, 'was'?" I asked.

"If you don't mind I don't really want to talk about it."

"It seems like you don't like him."

"Sure does, doesn't it," she said sarcastically. She looked up at me. "He is supposed to be dead. He never once tried to contact me, his own daughter, so as far as I'm concerned, he is dead – to me." She got up and walked away.

"Looks like someone's got father issues," Laena muttered.

"C'mon, we should get to sleep," I said.

My friends knew they weren't going to get anything else out of me, at least until tomorrow.

Man I'm hungry," Laena complained. "Why'd you have to go piss Amari off, Camryn?"

"Shut up and stop complaining," I muttered, rolling over so my back was to her. "It's annoying."

"Don't blame her Laena. She was the only person who had the guts to ask Amari about her family." Tori said in my defense.

"I'm just hungry," Laena sighed. "Ignore everything I say."

"Well that won't be hard, we do that anyway," Tori said

"Hey!" Laena exclaimed indignantly. She made a lazy swipe at Tori and missed.

"I think I like it better when you're hungry," Tori laughed.

"Yeah, you can't hurt us," Maylin agreed.

"I've got some food."

We all turned and saw Amari approaching us from the tunnel holding two bags.

"Amari!" Laena exclaimed, jumping to her feet and hugging her.

Amari blinked in surprise.

"Um…Does she do this often?" she asked over Laena's shoulder.

"All the time," I sighed, getting up and pulling Laena off of her.

Amari put the packs of food down. "Where are you guys headed?" she asked, summoning up a fire from the stones.

"Down to Tíernael." I replied.

"Do you have a map?" We all sat down around the fire.

"Yeah." I pulled the map out from my pack and handed it to her. She took it and pulled a charcoal stick out of her bag. She began making X's on it.

"What are those?" I asked, taking the map back when she handed it to me.

"Those are the soldier's camps. We should try to avoid them as much as we possibly can. And it would probably be safer not to travel with the wolves; they'd only draw unwanted attention. They will have an easier time with the rocks and can meet us down there."

"What do you mean 'we'?" I asked, putting the map back into my bag.

"I'm going with you. You're going to go home eventually right? So I decided to pay my old man a visit. Give him a piece of my mind." She didn't speak anymore, but stared into the fire.

"She daydreams like you Camryn," Laena said, shouldering her pack.

I scowled at her and walked over to Amari. "You ready to go?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." She stood up and swung her bag onto her shoulders. "Follow me; I know an easier way out."

We followed Amari through a series of tunnels and caves.

"Don't you ever get lost?" Maylin asked after at least two hours of traveling through the mountain.

"I used to. Okay, it's just through here… I think…"

"You think!" Laena exclaimed, but was silenced as we stepped out into the blinding afternoon sunlight. I was relieved to be back out in the open. I didn't like being underground. It felt like the rock was crushing me; it made it hard to breathe.

"C'mon," Amari said, squinting down the path. "Let's-"

"Down there!"

"I told you they were hiding in the caves! After them!"

"Aw, crap," I groaned. We ran.

Despite Amari leading us, and us avoiding the soldiers pretty well for a while, they eventually caught us – backed us into a corner.

I stopped retreating when my back hit the stone

"Dammit," I heard Amari mutter beside me. I suddenly had an idea.

"Amari, in my bag, there's a sword wrapped in rags. We have to fight."

"Camryn, you know how I told you that some of the soldiers take their jobs seriously; well these are some of those soldiers. There's no way we could win."

"I don't care; I'm not going down without a fight. Who's with me?"

My friends all nodded, loosing their swords in their sheaths.

Amari looked around at us and sighed. "I must be insane," she muttered, digging in my bag until she found the sword. She pulled it out and shook the rags off. "Whoa…"

"Fancy swords won't do you any good if you can't use them," one of the soldiers jeered, dismounting.

Amari belted on the sword. I smirked and looked up at the one who had spoken. "And who says we can't?"

We all drew our swords. I smiled at the way the sunlight glinted off the red blade. Flashes of color in the air in front of us announced the wolves' arrival.

"Ten against twenty how is that even? Oh well, we're still going to win," Laena said.

"Kill them!" the soldier roared.

"Alright, we will," I agreed. Before the soldiers could pin us against the wall, we raced forward and pushed our way through the people, then spun to face them. "You know, it's not usually a good idea to tell your opponent to kill you." I stated.

Many of the soldiers looked behind them to find any way to retreat, but along with the solid stone wall, there were also four snarling wolves to contend with.

"Ready boys?" Tori asked.

They pressed forward, drawing their swords; we met them. Metal clashed against metal, steel flashed inches from my face. Several of the soldiers were preoccupied with the wolves, and were soon lying dead on the ground.

I sought out the man who had issued the order to kill us. I tapped him on the shoulder with the flat of my blade; he spun around and lunged at me with his sword. I deflected it easily.

"Don't tell me that's the worst you can do?" I frowned mockingly.

He attacked again and I jumped out of the way. Our swords met again. I winced as his blow jarred my wrist. Amari was right, some of them were good. My old sword would probably have broken under that blow, but this blade deflected the hit easily, even if my wrist remembered the hit. Recovering, I swung around and smiled as my sword hit flesh and sliced through it like butter, beheading the man in a second. I turned around to help my friends and flinched as I felt a blade bite into my right shoulder.

Warm blood ran down my arm and something collided with my head. Stars popped in front of my eyes and the world started to fade around the edges. I heard a scream then everything went black.

Howling…what? Why were there wolves in my bedroom? I opened my eyes slowly and the world came into focus around me. "Huh? Where am I…?" I mumbled. Then everything came rushing back.

I sat up. My head hurt like crazy and my right side was caked in dried blood – I felt light-headed.

"You're awake!" Laena appeared in my field of vision. She looked on the verge of tears.

The howling continued in the background, somewhere behind me. "W-what's happened? I asked. Then I turned around, "oh…" I whispered. I felt tears spring to my eyes.

Tori was lying on the ground, spread-eagled, and blood pooled around her. I crawled over; her eyes were still open, fear reflected in them. I placed a hand over her eyes and shut them, turning my own head away as tears burned paths down my cheeks. If it hadn't been for the blood, she could have been sleeping. But we all knew the truth, no matter how much we didn't want it to be true: Tori was dead.

Getting over Tori's death wasn't in any way easy, but I think I took it better than Laena and Maylin. I spent most of the three days we stayed on the mountain on my own. Amari and I got along most of the time, but she was a solitary person, and I didn't want to be an annoyance.

Laena and Maylin were like zombies for the first few days. Laena wouldn't be kept quiet about burying Tori and whenever she got started, Amari would suddenly disappear. On the second day we started digging the grave.

I dropped my armful of stones beside the pile of rocky soil and helped Laena finish filling the hole. The atmosphere was sad but tense. Amari, who was sitting off to the side, wanted us to keep moving, but Laena had insisted on burying Tori.

We finished filling the shallow hole and Maylin dropped some more stones beside me, then knelt and started placing them over the grave. I was placing a larger stone at the head of the grave when Amari spoke.

"I don't see why you're making such a big deal about this," She said irritably from her position at the edge of the cliff.

"How can you say that?" Laena rounded on Amari, her composure finally snapping. "She's _dead_! And it's mostly your fault!"

Maylin and I stood. "Laena…" I said warningly, but she ignored me.

Amari got to her feet and walked over so she was standing only a few feet from my enraged friend. "I. Did. Nothing!" she stated angrily, pausing between each word to emphasize her point. "It's your fault that you decided to come here; I have no part in this! Yeah she's dead, but people die Oshiro." She stopped yelling and glared at Laena. "It's a part of life. People die and we forget about them."

Maylin and I jumped forward just as Laena lunged at Amari, stopping her from ripping the femme's throat out. At the same instant, a flash of black darted in front of Amari. At first I thought it was Kuro, but then I noticed that the wolf was bigger.

Amari, who hadn't even flinched when Laena had attacked, knelt to scratch the wolf behind the ears. "Meet Itami," she said, glancing past Laena for a second to Maylin and me, holding her back.

"Tori was our friend," I said calmly. "We chose not to leave her body for the scavengers, and what we do for our friends, is none of your concern, so it would be appreciated if you kept your comments to yourself." I lead a fuming Laena away while Maylin continued to cover the grave with stones.

It was no use trying to calm Laena down, so I sat and listened to her rant for a good hour. When she finally stopped, I seized my chance to speak.

"You can't blame Amari for Tori's death," I told her. "It isn't her fault."

Laena looked at me incredulously. "You're taking _her _side?" she exclaimed.

"I'm not taking anyone's side, but we're as much to blame for her death, and while pinning the blame on someone else might feel better, it's wrong."

"You don't even seem upset that she's dead," Laena said.

"Of course I am. We all express grief in different ways. Right now we need to move on. If even one soldier managed to get away, we won't be safe here anymore."

Laena stood and looked at me disgustedly. "Then I guess that in some cases, Amari was right. 'People die, and are forgotten'. And if that's the case with you, I don't want to be around you anymore!" She spun on her heel and stormed off.

"Laena!" I called after her, "that's not what I meant…" I trailed off as it was obvious that she was ignoring me.

"She didn't mean that Camryn."

I looked up to see Maylin duck into our shelter. She sat on her haunches and took over stoking the fire. "Tori and Laena were inseparable. Then we came along and it was the four of us. But – and I know that you noticed too – even though we were all friends, it was more like two groups – You and me, and Tori and Laena.

"Now that Tori's gone, Laena doesn't have that best friend there, so she's taking it out on us and Amari."

Maylin stood and went off in the same direction Laena had gone. She was right. Laena was just upset.

I looked up again as I heard approaching footsteps. It was Amari. She was walking past with her hands laced behind her neck. She stopped and turned her head to look at me.

"Where're you going?" I asked.

Amari shrugged. "Figure that if we're all going to be travelling together, it might be a good idea to be on everyone's good side. You know, so I don't end up waking up with a knife in my heart one day. I'm going to apologize." She looked up at the sky. "But if one of you three die on me, don't expect me to bother with burying you. I learned a long time ago not to get worked up over death. Besides, it would be too much work to haul your dead bodies around."

I smiled slightly at her strange sense of humor and nodded. "Mind if I go with you?" I asked. It would probably be a good idea to apologize as well.

She shrugged again. "She's your friend, not mine."

I followed her down the narrow mountain path to the field where we had fought. Cliffs towered on all sides. The only way out was the way we'd come in, or up the rocks. The only evidence of our battle was the blood on the ground and the ash scattered across the field from burning the soldier's bodies.

Laena sat off to the side with her back to us. The sound of steel hitting stone resounded from where she was sitting. Maylin stood at the entrance, watching our raven-haired friend with concern.

"What is she doing?" Amari asked as we stopped.

"Banging her sword on a rock," Maylin replied. "I guess it reminds her of home. She _is_ the blacksmith's daughter. I think the sound is… soothing to her."

"Or she's just in one of her moods," I suggested.

"She has moods?" Amari asked.

"Oh yeah," Maylin replied. "She most definitely has moods."

I nodded in agreement.

"So she's just in one of her moods?" Amari confirmed.

"Yup," Maylin and I said in unison.

"Have you tried talking to her?" I asked.

"Are you kidding me!" Maylin exclaimed. "This is exactly like the time her cat died, except that this time, luckily for us, she has no access to brands."

I shuddered. "Man that hurt… a lot…" I said, remembering that day. I shook the memory from my head.

"Are you going to stand there and reminisce all day?" Amari asked, looking bored.

"Maybe we should just leave her be for now," I suggested. Maylin nodded.

"Pathetic," Amari muttered. She approached Laena. "Hey. Oshiro."

Laena turned her head. "Get lost," she growled. If looks could kill, Amari would have dropped dead then and there.

Amari stopped well out of swords reach. "I came to apologize Oshiro. Hear me out."

Laena continued to glare, then finally said, "Hurry up before you piss me off more."

"Yup, definitely one of her moods," I muttered.

"Well…" Amari rubbed the back of her neck, looking up at the sky. "I'm not too good at this apologizing thing, but, uh… look, I guess I went too far. It's just that since I've lived a lot of my life in the streets, murder and death is an everyday occurrence; I'm used to it. But it's obviously not a subject to be taken lightly around you guys, so I'll lay off."

Laena watched Amari like a wildcat sizing up its prey and searching for a weak spot. After a moment she turned her predatory gaze onto Maylin and I. "What about you two?" she asked.

"I'm sorry Laena," I said, "You misinterpreted what I said. No one will ever forget Tori."

Laena's eyes slid to Maylin, who held up her hands in surrender. "If I did anything, I'm sorry."

"Do you forgive us?" I asked.

Laena's features softened. She stood and sheathed her sword. "I forgive you." She hugged me and I hugged her back.

"What is with you guys and all this sentimental stuff?" Amari muttered under her breath.

"Because we're friends and we love each other," Maylin replied, hugging Laena and me.

We let go of each other and Laena turned to Amari. "I forgive you Myuro, but I want to make this clear: if you _ever_ bad mouth me or my friends, dead or alive, I will kick your ass into the next millennia."

"I get it Oshiro."

"Good… now let's go back to camp; I'm starved." Laena ran off to camp; Maylin and I followed.

"C'mon Amari," I said, part way up the path.

Amari looked up at the sky. "I'll catch up in a bit," she said.

"Okay," I said with a shrug before catching up with Laena and Maylin.

We traveled six more days before we could see an end to the mountains. My friends and I were tired, but Amari kept up a quick pace, and we didn't complain, knowing we had to keep ahead of the soldiers. The wolves didn't travel with us, and met up with us each night. Rikko was no longer with us – he had died when Tori had, though no one had seen him since the fight.

When we reached a point where we could see the stretch of grassland that the mountains dropped off to, we all sighed in relief.

"Have you guys ever seen the ocean?" Amari asked as we paused to relish in the sight of something other than stone.

"No," Maylin replied.

"Does it really go to the end of the world?" I asked.

"Yep," Amari replied.

"Wow," Maylin muttered.

"I still believe the world is round," Laena put in. "Which means it has no end.

"Once again Laena, that had absolutely _nothing_ to do with what we are talking about," I sighed.

"I guess I do that a lot huh?" Laena said.

Maylin nodded her head vigorously.

"Come here." Amari ran up an incline to the edge of a cliff.

We followed, curious.

I swore loudly at what we saw.

"Watch your mouth!" Laena snapped.

"Sorry, but _look_!" Before us, stretching to the horizon, was a vast expanse of green-grey water.

"That's the ocean?" Maylin asked, awed.

"Mhm," Amari nodded. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Incredibly," I replied.

"And that is Tíernael," she said, pointing south.

Tíernael was surrounded on three sides by a wall that must have been twenty feet thick, and by the ocean on the west side. The city was easily ten times the size of Dantor, probably more. From our vantage point, we could see the rows of houses and buildings, all facing the west.

"It's big," I stated.

"That's just from up here." We all turned to Amari. "Wait till you get down there." She took one last look at the ocean, then said, "We should get going before they close the gates," She shifted her bag on her shoulders. "It's almost nightfall, but we should be able to make it in time."

I nodded and pulled my two friends away from the view.

It was a steep climb down to sea level. As we descended, Tíernael kept coming in and out of view, and it didn't take long before we could see nothing but the rough stone of the city's surrounding wall.

"We'll leave the wolves out here," Amari said as we cut a path through the tall grass. "It would be dangerous for us and them to bring them in. They'll be fine."

As we approached the gate, Amari pulled her hood up, casting her face in shadow. "I can't let my face be seen," she explained we nodded and continued on. I had expected that we would be stopped, but as we passed through, there was no one there. Laena, Maylin and I took it as good luck, but Amari stopped.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "Let's go before they come back."

Amari shook her head. "There's something wrong, the shift change isn't until dark... and I smell blood."

I sniffed the air, and covered my nose. "Ugh, you're right, this place reeks!"

"It's not fresh either, I'd say several hours old at least."

I nodded and walked over to a metal door in the stone wall. It was unlocked, so I pulled it open – and immediately regretted it. As the heavy door swung open, a wave of pungent air rushed out. It smelled like death. I fell back, coughing, hands over my nose, and fighting the urge to throw up. I slammed the door shut, but the metallic scent of blood remained.

All four of us sprinted into the city and the smell was replaced with that of the streets.

Open sewers, unwashed bodies, rotting garbage. Mixed with the smell of old blood that was burned into my nose made me wretch.

It took a while for everyone's stomachs to settle enough for us to continue. We walked deeper into the city with no real destination that I could determine. The people inhabiting the city gave us a wide berth, walking with their heads down.

We passed a Smith's shop and Laena hung back.

"Come on Laena." I started pulling her away when the store's door opened and a man stepped out into the covered shop. He had bright green eyes and ear-length hair that was so dirty it was hard to determine its natural color, but it might have been blonde. He stared at us for several seconds, then I saw recognition flash in his eyes as his gaze reached Amari.

Amari pulled her hood back, starring at the man in amazement.

"I'm going to take a guess and say that you know each other," Laena muttered.

"Lain?" Amari asked. She smiled and I realized that this was the first time I'd seen her smile; it made her look much prettier.

"I thought they'd run you out," the man replied, not answering her question.

"Amari hugged him. "They did," she said.

"Why are you back then?" he asked, embracing her quickly.

She released him. "I'm helping my friends." She gestured toward us. "Why are you here? I thought you were in Llarría."

"I was, but the king sent me back."

"How are the kids?" She asked after a moment.

"Ask 'em yourself." He walked over to the door and yelled something.

Two young children ran out of the building – a girl and a boy.

"Amari!" the girl cried. She looked to be about seven or eight years old. She wore a mended, but clean, dress, but no shoes.

Amari crouched down and hugged her. "Hey Trianna. Hey Kye." The boy – who looked to be only three, maybe four – followed Trianna and hugged Amari.

Amari released them and stood, turning to face us. "This is Kye –" she pointed to the young boy. "And Trianna –" she pointed to the girl.

"Hey Amari?"

We looked at Lain.

"Yeah?"

"I want you to meet one of my apprentices." He stuck his head inside the door. "Kori, come here," he called.

A boy of probably about thirteen years appeared in the doorway.

"This is Kori. I met him in the woods on my way back."

Amari cast a strange look at Lain. "The Craì woods?" she asked.

"Yes," Lain replied.

The look now made sense. Even in Dantor we'd heard rumors about the Craì woods. It was said that it was inhabited by demons, and anyone caught in the woods would go insane in a matter of hours because of the mind tricks they liked to play. There was only one path through the woods, and it was rarely traveled. Very few people made the trip from Llarría, and only the necessary journeys – bringing supplies to Llarría from the ports – were made from Tíernael.

Lain turned back to us. "And who are they?" His gaze was wary.

"These are my friends." I was surprised by Amari's introduction; I think we all were. "I met up with them in the mountains. They're like me."

"I see." He extended his hand toward me. "I'm Lain," he introduced himself.

"I surmised as much," I replied, shaking his outstretched hand. "I'm Camryn."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Camryn." He turned to Laena and Maylin and they both shook his hand, introducing themselves in turn.

I glanced past Lain, to the door of the shop to where the oldest boy, Kori, stood staring ahead fixedly, arms crossed over his chest. As I watched, he looked up at me. I raised my hand, smiling slightly. My smile quickly disappeared and my hand dropped to my side. His stare was disturbing; there was too much wisdom in those black eyes for a child, and it unnerved me.

"If you stay, we're all going to die," he stated, still staring at me.

My eyes widened at the comment and I suddenly believed in all the stories about people getting lost in the Craì woods and going insane.

Lain spun to face him, eyes surprised. He crouched down in front of him so they were at eye level and started speaking quickly in a language I didn't recognize.

Amari looked back over at us. "Let's walk, I'll show you around," she said. She glanced over her shoulder for a split second before starting to walk. I followed her quickly, keen to get away from the strange boy. Laena and Maylin followed right behind me.

When we returned, Kori was nowhere to be seen and Lain was working in the shop again. Amari pulled him aside to speak to him, and though I couldn't understand the language, it was clear they were arguing.

Trianna showed us upstairs to the loft above the shop. There were five rooms – three to sleep in, a kitchen, and a toilet. All were small in size. Laena, Maylin, and I were to share one of the small bedrooms.

The mattresses were set on metal frames; there were three in the room. I sat on the bed next to the window, thinking about Kori's words. All through Amari's tour of the lower city they had haunted me._ "If you stay, we're all going to die." _… I thought about the stories about the Craì woods. Yes, they made sense, but then I remembered what the soldiers chasing us in the mountains had called us. Demons. Maybe that was the same misconception that surrounded who – or what – ever inhabited the woods. Maybe they allowed themselves to be called demons because it made the people who wished to kill them, fear them. I had to admit, it was a smart plan.

"What's on your mind Camryn?" Laena asked, sitting on the middle bed, facing me.

"I was thinking about what Kori said," I replied.

"That crazy kid?" Maylin perched on the edge of the bed beside Laena. "Forget about him. He's nuts."

"Yeah, two months ago I might have thought that; not anymore. Think about the stories about the woods. Why would demons stay in one place where humans rarely pass through? No, I don't think it's demons. I think it's people like us who are tired of being hunted."

"That actually does make sense," Laena muttered, lying back on her bed. She sighed. "Why don't we sleep. It's been weeks since we've slept on a bed."

"Okay," I agreed. Sleep sounded like a good idea. I curled up in the bed I'd been sitting on, facing the open window. Maylin stretched out on the remaining bed. It took me a while to fall asleep, and when I did, I didn't dream. I didn't dream the entire time we stayed with Lain.

We lived with Lain for two weeks before the fire. All of us were sure we'd been keeping ourselves hidden, but somehow, the soldiers found out we were here.

We left the city each day to see the wolves; it was much too dangerous to try bringing them inside the city's walls. Things didn't settle down at the gates for a few days. The night shift had found the dead guards, and had been checking each person through the gates individually, making it impossible for Amari to accompany us for the first few days.

The three children lived with Lain, but we only saw Kye and Trianna at night. They disappeared early in the morning and didn't return until shortly after nightfall. Kori, however, never strayed far from Lain. He worked in the shop a lot, and despite his young age, was skilled.

Laena also helped Lain downstairs sometimes; they could spend hours talking about smithing techniques. There was another boy who came almost everyday – another of Lain's apprentices, Kell. Laena even worked with him a bit too.

It was dark when the soldiers came. Maylin was upstairs, sleeping, and I was practicing my elemental magic on a basin of water downstairs in the shop. Laena was working with Kell while Lain hammered at a sword for a customer. Kori sat in the corner, reading a text written in the language he spoke (his ability to read surprised me greatly). Amari had gone to buy food.

We didn't hear anything to warn us of their approach, but the crackling sound of flames began to grow louder and louder and it started to get warmer and warmer until Lain stopped what he was doing and looked up at the ceiling. Laena and Kell followed his gaze.

The door was wrenched open and Amari ran up. "The loft's on fire!" she yelled. "They' know we're here – we have to get out!"

Laena pushed Kell out of the shop and Lain gave him an order in whatever the language they spoke was. Kell nodded and sped off.

I suddenly remembered that Maylin was upstairs, asleep. Swearing, I darted for the stairs, but Lain's arm stopped me, hooking me about the waist.

"I'll go, you get out of here," he said, green eyes glowing. His face was darkened with soot, making him look even more eerie.

The sound of flames was still growing louder and the heat building even more – I could feel sweat beading down my temples. I had no idea how we hadn't noticed the fire before. But I'd been so focused, and Laena, Lain and Kell had all been looking at flames already, they wouldn't have noticed the glow on the ground a few feet away. And Kori had been immersed in his book...

"Maylin's up there! I have to help her!" I argued, trying to break Lain's hold on me.

He pulled me against his chest, stopping me from breaking his grip. "I will get her. Now get out!" He had to yell over the flames now – they were quickly swallowing up the building. He pushed me into Laena and took the stairs two at a time.

Laena pulled me out to the street, which was now bathed in orange light. A line of men was stretched from the building to out of site. Buckets of water were passed along. They must go all the way to the harbor.

Lain appeared in the window, even more soot-blackened and tossed us down our bags before disappearing again. The entire top floor was completely engulfed in flames, and they were quickly crawling downwards to consume the ground floor as well.

A crowd began to form, and I waited with baited breath for Lain to appear with Maylin; it took all my restraint (and Laena's firm hand around my wrist), to not douse the flames with my magic, or run in after Lain.

Amari appeared beside Laena and I. "let's go," she snapped. "We can get out while everyone's distracted." She grabbed her own bag.

"But what about –" I began.

"Lain will get her out, now come on!" She pulled Laena and I away from the burning building and we quickly disappeared into the shadows.

Amari led us to the harbor, the opposite way the fire line was going. "We'll have to swim out," she explained.

Laena and I exchanged a glance.

"What?" Amari asked, noticing it.

"I don't know how to swim," Laena admitted.

"And I can't swim well," I added.

"You're kidding… No, of course you're not…" She looked around the harbor, and her eyes came to rest on a fishing boat tied to the dock we stood on. "Come on," she ordered, making her way toward it.

"You know how to use a boat?" I asked, following after her and Laena.

"Not really, but Lain does. He knows I would take us to the docks – it's how I escaped last time. We'll wait for him and he can take us out. It's dark, so no one should see us."

She hopped onto the deck of the ship and offered her hand to Laena and I.

I let Laena take Amari's offered help and hopped down onto the deck like Amari had. I nearly lost my balance as the ground shifted beneath my feet, but I caught myself. Laena landed beside me and Amari led us below decks and told us to wait there; she would tell us when Lain arrived.

I don't know how long we waited for Lain, but by the time we came above deck again, the sky was beginning to turn grey, and the only sign of the fire was a thick plume of black smoke rising up from the middle of the city.

Lain was kneeling beside Maylin at the front of the boat. She wasn't too badly burned. Her skin was red and had blisters in some places, and her hair was burnt slightly, but other than that, she looked fine. I was hopeful – she could recover from this. Burns could heal. But then Lain's words dashed what hope I'd had.

"I managed to stop the worst of the burns, but she inhaled a lot of smoke. I don't know what can be done to save her. I'm sorry."

"Is she dead already?" Laena asked, voice void of emotion.

"No, she's just unconscious. But she won't last much longer." Lain stood and pulled Amari away, letting us have some time with our dying friend.

Tears welled in my eyes as I sat beside Maylin. I didn't want her to become the second friend in weeks to die because I couldn't help her, but I didn't know what to do, and no amount of praying was gong to change that. Beside me, Laena stood, hands balled into fists, glaring straight ahead.

As the horizon turned pink, we heard approaching footsteps on the dock. Lain was beside us instantaneously, sword drawn.

I'd stopped crying by now, and Laena had sat beside me, but both of us were too numb to do anything.

Amari was next to Lain a second later, her sword also drawn, but when the stranger came into view, both their swords became useless, the tips pointing at the ground.

He was beautiful. Even in the faint light, his pale skin seemed to glow. His face was framed with silver-blue hair and his features were delicate and angular, reminding me of a knife, - magnificent, but deadly. His eyes were a pale lavender color. He seemed to exude magic.

Lain was the first to recover. He raised his sword, sliding his foot into a fighting stance. "Who are you?" he demanded.

The stranger held his hands out to the side to show he was unarmed, but Lain didn't lower his sword. "I noticed you were trying to ready this ship, and came to tell you that you need to get out of here."

"We know that," Amari said, raising her sword as well. "That's why we were readying the ship."

"You will not be able to sail out of here," the stranger replied, turning his gaze on Amari."They have been watching the harbor since you swam to your freedom."

"Who are you!" Lain repeated angrily.

The stranger looked at him, annoyed. "My name, while of no conciquence, is Stefan Talice. And I only wish to help you, so you can keep the hostility to yourself," he snapped.

"How do we get out of the city then, if we can't sail?" Amari asked before Lain could retort.

"Your elemental can shift the wall."

"Our elemental?" Amari questioned. She looked at Laena and us, but we just shrugged.

"Yes," Stefan replied. "Her." He pointed one long finger at me.

Lain looked at me. "You're an elemental?" he asked.

"I don't know," I replied.

"You are," Stefan interrupted. "Now we must go. They were searching the remains of your store when I passed; they will soon know that you escaped."

Amari looked at Lain and he sighed. 'It's all we can do," he said before sheathing his sword, picking up Maylin and following Stefan, who had begun to walk away already.

We followed after them. "What's an elemental?" I asked Laena.

"Umm…" she thought for a moment. "I think I remember Sashen saying something about elementals… Oh yeah! He said that elementals are mages that can control all four of the base elements: earth, air, water, and fire. He said you'd know an elemental human mage because their wolf would be a solid color, while other mages usually have some kind of other marking."

I thought of Kirei. She was white except for the tips of her ears and tail, which were black. "Then how am I an elemental?" I have no more control over elements than you do. And Kirei isn't a pure color."

Laena shrugged. "I don't know. Ask mystery boy."

Puzzling over that, I hardly noticed when we came to a stop in front of a section of wall near the poorer part of the city. Stefan looked at me, lavender eyes boring into my own dark blue ones. "Your teacher either left out a crucial piece of information, or you just didn't retain it. Either way, it can wait until you are safe outside of city walls. Now, make a hole in the wall."

"How on earth am I supposed to do that?" I demanded. "It has to be at least twenty feet thick!"

"Just move it like you move earth – use your magic." He pulled me to the front of the group – none too gently.

"But, I've never –" I began.

"Then there's no time like the present to learn," Stefan snapped. "Hurry up. They will know by now that you weren't killed in the fire."

"What do I need to say?"

"You don't need an incantation, just do it."

Confused, I turned my attention to the impossibly thick wall. Spells required incantations. That was one of the first things Sashen had taught us. Incantations came from the Language of Angels. He hadn't taught us more than the basic vocabulary we would need to cast spells.

Despite what Stefan had said, I let habit take over and muttered the words for 'move earth' "Tiér eietre," I whispered under my breath. I let my magic flow through my feet and into the ground, then guided it into the wall. Suddenly, my vision shifted.

The once-smooth wall was now riddled with cracks, each one seeming to glow as if a light shone behind them. I reached my hands out, and though I wasn't actually touching the stones, they moved with my hands easily. As the hole became bigger, moving them became easier. I must have been halfway through the wall before I began to feel faint.

One of the bricks slipped and I stumbled. As soon as Stefan touched me, my vision went back to normal. I could no longer see the cracks in the wall. My head spun, and my ears were ringing. If it hadn't been for Stefan's vice-like grip on my arm, I probably would have fallen. I sure didn't feel like I could support my own weight.

"Dammit," Stefan cursed. "I thought you'd be strong enough to make it through…" he made a frustrated noise. "I'm no good at earth spells…" He sighed, and, putting his hands out like I had, started chanting a sentence in the Language of Angels."

Eventually, the hole in the wall was big enough for us to climb through. Lain went first, Maylin still unconscious in his arms, then Laena, me stumbling out after her and Amari supporting me from behind. Stefan came last and the wall closed behind us with a loud grating noise that hurt my already pained head. I tried blinking away the pain…


End file.
